What did I say???

Two monologues do not make a dialogue.  ~Jeff Daly

It occurred to me yesterday that, when writing, what you don’t say sometimes carries more weight than what you do say. Those bland, blank spots in my prose when I am having my “how will they take that?” moments, have come back to haunt me with criticisms of my lack of interesting speech. So from now on I will endeavor to complete my thought so there will be no excuse for confusion. I have decided to take the following advice to heart:

Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don’t start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
~William Safire, “Great Rules of Writing

Did you get it???

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